Tag Archives: crime prevention

Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach today hailed the success of grassroots community work which is transforming the lives of vulnerable people and those at risk of committing crime.

Since March, the PCC has invested more than £130,000 from his Prevention Fund into local projects which help victims recover from their experiences, address societal problems and rehabilitate offenders – with some £120,000 of the fund still available.

The PCC has promised to plough £250,000 into community work in 2017-18 which helps keep Leicestershire safe and delivers lasting positive changes on vulnerable people.

So far, grants have been invested in a wide range of areas and include those that support families affected by substance misuse, projects which provide “drop in” centres for vulnerable people and others that support domestic violence survivors to prevent re-exploitation.

A major part of this community work has also focused on tackling hate crime with projects aimed at encouraging victims to report crime, services to deliver advice and schools-based help intervention for asylum seekers and refugees.

This month, the PCC visited project leaders behind the Drop the Knife and Live Your Life initiative.

The project, being delivered by Beaumont Leys training provider E2, was recently awarded £12,500 from the Fund for 2017-18 followed by £12,499.80 in 2018-19 to deliver youth consultation and research, analysis and educational intervention to tackle knife crime among young people in Leicestershire.

With cash still available, organisations which require funding to support their crime prevention work are being reminded to apply as soon as possible.

Willy Bach said:

Lord Willy Bach: We need to think outside the box

“Our partners on the ground are really making a difference to people’s lives, supporting them through trauma, hardship and life’s problems to close the door on a life of crime or victimisation.

“Helping people tackle their problems is the most effective way of reducing crime and harm from our streets in the long-term and reinforces everything the police do to protect people.

“We need to think outside the box to have a meaningful impact on public safety and I really like that this fund champions innovation and enables new approaches to get off the ground.

“There are so many ways of approaching a problem because there never is one single cause and I’m incredibly grateful to our partners in the community who give us the breadth of expertise and resources to solve them, individually, and get people back on the right road to recovery.”

The Prevention Fund is designed to help voluntary and third sector groups support the public safety goals in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan as well as confront pressing community issues.

Among those celebrating in the first round of the grants scheme was Leicester Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Centre which received £9,945 for its LGBT and Hate Crime Ambassador project.

The initiative will address the issue of under-reporting of LGBT and hate incidents through the recruitment of volunteer ambassadors.

Another recipient included the Shama Women’s Centre for its ESCAPE project which empowers and supports women and girls from the BME community in their recovery from domestic violence, hate crime and mental health issues.

Grants of up to £25,000 are available in 2017-18 for organisations whose projects successfully address the PCC’s crime priority areas which include hate crime, domestic violence and abuse, Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), drug and alcohol-related problems, sexual violence and mental health.

Anyone aged 50 years or over and living in Blaby District can ‘have their say’ and keep informed about local issues and services that affect them by attending the Blaby District Over 50s Forum this September.

The next meeting of the Over 50’s forum takes place on Monday 14th September from 2pm until 4pm in the council chamber at the council offices on Desford Road, Narborough, LE19 2EP.

The topic for the meeting is ‘keeping safe and well this winter‘.

Guest speakers include Blaby District Council’s Health Improvement Officer, Leicestershire Police and the Papworth Trust who will be talking about their new ‘Warm Homes, Healthy Homes’ project.

There will be advice on crime prevention and health and fitness services for the Over 50s within the district.

These were all issues that residents declared were important in the ageing well consultation earlier this year.

Joy, a member from Braunstone Town, said:

“I’ve been going to the forum for years now and it’s really come on a lot over time. You get so much out of going to the
meetings!”

People in communities across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland will be finalising their plans ahead of New Year’s Eve, the time for seeing in a hopeful, prosperous and peaceful 2012.

Chief Inspector Steve Potter is the lead for Operations at Leicestershire Police, he said,

“By taking some simple steps you can ensure that your 2012 gets off to a good start and that your New Year’s Eve night is memorable for all the right reasons.

“The majority of crimes committed by or against people celebrating the occasion are fuelled by the excessive consumption of alcohol. Drink responsibly, stay with trusted friends and always have enough money reserved for a planned ride home with someone who has not been drinking.”

Police are issuing advice to the public to take some simple steps to plan ahead for their big New Year’s Eve night out:

Have none for the road – simply don’t drink if you have to drive;

Leave your car at home and travel with a designated driver;

Book a taxi before you go out and don’t leave it to chance;

Take the bus to your destination to remove the temptation to drive;

Give your car keys to a friend for safe keeping, preferably a designated driver, when you’re out and you’ve decided to drink and therefore not to drive;

Leave your car keys behind the bar – if you know the landlord in you local pub, remove your car key from your key ring and ask to leave it behind the bar.

Once out and about partying with friends and family, Leicestershire Police advises taking the following safety precautions:

Sticking with friends and travelling home in a group;

Checking to make sure your taxi is a licensed cab;

Sitting in the back of the taxi;

Informing the bus driver if you feel uncomfortable with behaviour on a bus

Moderating your alcohol intake (click here for advice). Alcohol increases your chances of being a victim and a perpetrator of crime;

Avoiding drug misuse;

Avoiding drinking and driving – either have a designated driver, or use public transport to get home;

Only take the cash and valuable you need for the night with you;

Keep your valuables in a zipped pocket. Leave coats and bags in an attended cloakroom if you want to go on to the dance floor.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership are requesting that people keep their eyes and ears open this winter.

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If you see someone who appears to be drunk leave a public house or club and then enter a vehicle to drive away, make a note of the registration plate and the direction of travel and call your local police on 101* or make a make a free and anonymous call to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111**

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*Calls cost 15p for the entire duration of the call from mobile or landline phones